France intends to have all petrol and diesel vehicles off the road by the year 2040, 23 years from now. France Environment minister, Nicolas Hulot, made the announcement when he launched a five-year-plan to fulfill country’s commitments under Paris Agreement, reports the Independent.

Newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron has a plan that will see his country carbon neutral by 2050. This comes after the Swedish carmaker, Volvo, announced its plans to build only electric and hybrid vehicles from 2019.

Hulot said the plan puts pressure on France’s car manufacturers but projects that aim to “fulfil that promise” are currently on going. He further said that the government will assist poorer households to swap their polluting vehicles for clean alternatives.

France will stop using coal to produce electricity by 2022 & €4bn of investments to be used boost energy efficiency. France has also pledged to reduce nuclear energy from 75 per cent to 50 per cent of the country’s energy mix by 2025.

France joins a short list of countries that have taken the bold step towards clean energy. Netherlands and Norway previously plan to stop using petrol and diesel vehicles by 2025 and Germany and India by 2030.